From energy research to decision-ready solutions
What is ENERGY SYSTEMS ANALYTICS all about?
- Optimising complex energy systems for flexibility, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
- Assessing environmental, economic and social impacts across technologies and value chains.
- Advancing sustainable mobility, battery management and digital energy solutions.
- Informing policy, regulation and market design for a fair and effective energy transition.
Energy systems analytics
Energy Systems Analytics accelerates the clean energy transition through the intelligent integration of complex energy systems. Combining modelling, optimisation, sustainability assessment and economic analysis, the department develops tools, methods and evidence to improve system performance, reduce risks and support better decisions for industry, policymakers and society across the entire energy value chain.
Intelligent energy systems integration
Advanced solutions for the optimisation and control of integrated energy systems, including flexibility management, digital twins and system planning, supporting the grid integration of distributed and renewable energy resources.
Sustainable mobility and battery management
Smart and bidirectional charging solutions for electric mobility, combined with battery modelling, state-of-health estimation and second-life approaches for more efficient transport and storage systems.
Energy economics, social and regulatory assessment
Techno-economic feasibility analysis, business model evaluation, regulatory frameworks and social dimensions — including energy poverty and consumer behaviour — informing inclusive and effective energy policies and market design.
Life cycle sustainability and circularity
Integrated LCA, life cycle costing and social LCA methodologies supporting eco-design, circularity and battery passport frameworks aligned with Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles and emerging sustainability regulations.
Our activity at a glance
The department brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers and specialists working across its core research areas. Our work combines fundamental research, technology development and applied validation, engaging with academic institutions, industry partners and public bodies to generate knowledge and solutions with real-world impact.
A department expert team
Our research lines
Research lines
- Energy Systems Integration
- Energy Economics, Social and Regulatory Impact Assessment
- Energy Technology LCA and Sustainability
Energy Systems Integration develops intelligent energy management solutions for flexible and connected systems. Its work spans optimisation methods — LP, MILP and stochastic approaches — AI and machine learning for forecasting, digital twins for system planning, battery state estimation and smart bidirectional charging. By combining modelling with experimental validation in the IREC SmartLab, the group helps industry and grid operators reduce operating costs, improve asset utilisation and accelerate the integration of renewables and storage into the energy system.
Focused on the interface between energy systems, markets, regulation and society, this group conducts techno-economic assessment, evaluates business models for aggregators and energy communities, and analyses social acceptance, energy poverty, equity and consumer behaviour. Its regulatory analysis and scenario modelling help policymakers, developers and investors design fair and viable pathways for the deployment of innovative energy technologies.
This group develops methodologies and digital tools to minimise the environmental and social footprint of energy technologies throughout their life cycle. Expertise covers integrated LCA, LCC and social LCA aligned with Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles, prospective assessment, eco-design, circularity and battery passport development for batteries, hydrogen and electronics, serving companies and public administrations seeking to assess and reduce the impact of their activities.
People
A skilled team dedicated to advancing the energy transition.
Projects
Competitive and industrial projects from lab to real-world scale.
Publications
Peer-reviewed outputs at the forefront of energy research.
Facilities
Facilities
The department’s experimental infrastructure centres on the IREC SmartLab, a flexible shared environment for testing and validating integrated energy solutions under realistic operating conditions. It brings together microgrid and grid emulation capabilities, battery characterisation and testing benches, EV charger and V2G equipment, and SCADA and energy management systems.
Digital infrastructure supports modelling and sustainability assessment across the energy value chain. This includes the CTHULHU high-performance computing server, GAMS optimisation licences, and Ecoinvent, GaBi and Brightway licences for life cycle assessment.
Tech Transfer
Energy Systems Analytics combines applied research with strong transfer potential, turning models, methods and digital tools into practical solutions for industry and public stakeholders. Its outcomes include the CASE software platform, transferred to Bamboo Energy — an IREC spin-off commercialising energy management and storage dimensioning tools — and battery health and remaining-life estimation tools delivered to SEAT and Nissan. Vehicle-to-grid integration solutions and a state-of-charge algorithm licensed to Cellect reflect the range of its transfer activity.
Researchers from the department contribute to standardisation bodies and European regulatory working groups on battery reuse, digital product passports and the UNE 0075:2023 standard for the reuse of mobility batteries in stationary applications, reinforcing ESA’s role as a reference in sustainable energy technology transfer.
News
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IREC and Airbus join forces to power the future of hydrogen flight
The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) has forged a strategic alliance with Airbus to develop cutting-edge hydrogen technologies that could reshape the future of air travel. At the heart of the partnership are solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), a high-efficiency technology capable of generating energy from hydrogen while dramatically cutting CO₂ emissions, one of…
Read more: IREC and Airbus join forces to power the future of hydrogen flightPablo Fernández Martínez
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NEXTGEN 2026 strengthens international collaboration in photovoltaics
Researchers, industry specialists and early-career scientists met in Palma de Mallorca from 8 to 10 September for the seventh edition of NEXTGEN, the Next Generation High Efficiency Photovoltaics International School and Workshop. Organised by IREC in collaboration with UPC, TalTech, and supported by ReNewPV, a European COST Action connecting academic and industry researchers working on…
Read more: NEXTGEN 2026 strengthens international collaboration in photovoltaicsPablo Fernández Martínez
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IREC launches Gara CHECK Awards to promote critical thinking about energy in schools
IREC has launched the first edition of the Gara CHECK Awards, a competition for schools across Catalonia that combines energy education, critical thinking and audiovisual communication. The initiative aims to encourage students to learn more about the energy transition and renewable energies while developing the skills needed to identify and challenge misinformation through scientific evidence…
Read more: IREC launches Gara CHECK Awards to promote critical thinking about energy in schoolsPablo Fernández Martínez
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